


A New Adventure

by Writeonthrough (Schroederplayspiano)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Perthshire, Starting A Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 17:10:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5594221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schroederplayspiano/pseuds/Writeonthrough
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jemma Fitz-Simmons was perfectly happy with her life with Fitz in their Perthshire. She and Fitz had everything they ever wanted. Today, however, Jemma realized she wanted more. If only she knew how Fitz felt about her future plans....</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Adventure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [newbie93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/newbie93/gifts).



The rolling Scottish hills seemed greener to Jemma as she drove home from teaching her Advanced Biochem class. The hills led her home as if they were calling her, welcoming her into the home that had been theirs for thousands of years. 

Or, perhaps, it was just the day’s events that had changed the hills’ welcome. After all, they were just elevations in the Earth’s surface that had no capacity to call to her or welcome her anywhere.

Sunbeams caught the diamonds in Jemma’s wedding ring as she guided the car around a hillside curve. She took a long moment to simply look at it. Fitz’s mother’s beautiful ring held more significance to her today. It was full of a different kind of promise, a new future that Jemma had not spent any time imagining. 

The memory of the little girl’s smile as she ran into Jemma’s arms to give her a big hug played on a loop in her mind. Jemma had taken her advanced students to the local primary school to be group role models for the day. The requirement aimed to inspire students of both age groups. As Jemma recalled the feeling of holding the young girl in her arms, her little hands folded around her neck, she knew no one’s life had changed more in that small school that day than hers.

She rounded another green hillside and their Perthshire cottage came into view. White and pink roses lined their pristine picket fence. The large apple tree stretching across a front window was her favorite. Positioned right outside their bedroom, she grew accustomed to waking up to the sight of it every morning. She loved looking up at its branches as the sun rose and made its leaves sparkle as she prepared for the new day’s adventure. 

All Jemma could see now was a small, wooden swing hanging from its branches. 

Never before had she felt more excited to return to an empty cottage. Once she shut the car door, her fingers immediately reached for their white picket fence. Jemma ran her fingers over the painted wood, rose petals brushing against her skin as they drifted by. She slowly turned to the apple tree in front of her bedroom window and their front door just a few feet away from it. 

Jemma skipped from one stone in their walkway to the next, mentally planning her quiet evening with Fitz. A small, metal door knocker in the shape of a monkey greeted Jemma before she managed to slide her key into the lock. She paused at the monkey’s expression - one full of joy and laughter. She hoped Fitz’s expression would mirror it when she told him what she’d realized that day. 

The scent of lavender wafted around Jemma as she made her way into their cottage. For the first time since they had moved in six months ago, Jemma found herself soaking in the ambience of their cottage. A thick blue throw blanket they covered themselves with when they watched Doctor Who now hung over the back of a blue and white checkered chair. Red tulips rested in a clear vase beside it. In front of the fire place, an oval rug covered the wooden floor, welcoming whomever wanted to warm themselves on a cold Scottish night. 

Jemma couldn’t help noticing the rug was the perfect size and thickness to play with an infant on.

The grandfather clock in the corner chimed in the top of the hour. Jemma perked up at the sound. Fitz would be home soon. She looked down at her teacher attire - black slacks and a teal sweater and suddenly felt the urge to change into something nicer - softer. 

She wasn’t usually one for dresses, but as Jemma browsed through thee items in her closet, she remembered a long, sleeveless dress she had bought for a cousin’s baby shower. It was lavender, with dragonflies flitting around its bottom hem. As she stripped down to her bra and knickers, she recalled Fitz’s commenting how much he liked her in that dress - and it was unusual for him to notice her nicer outfits.

Jemma struck a match as the grandfather clock chimed for the second time. She curved her palm around the flame as if to shield it from the nonexistent draft, then raised it above the fireplace to light the two candles that sat upon its mantel. The kitchen timer buzzed, notifying her that the chicken and vegetable dish she had warmed after she put on her dress and let down her hair was ready to serve. 

Before she made it to the kitchen, however, she heard the key turn in the door lock, and knots instantly formed in her stomach. 

Fitz greeted her with his usual greeting before he fully made it through the door. “Jemma! I’m home! - Oh.” He lowered his voice when he realized they were mere feet apart. She took a step closer to him, and his hand automatically found her shoulder. “Hi,” he said, before leaning in for a kiss. 

What was clearly meant to be a quick kiss hello, Jemma soon prolonged. She moved even closer, wrapping her arms around his lower back. The two of them swayed on the spot as Jemma shifted her weight from one foot to the other, adding some playfulness to their intensifying kiss.

Fitz pulled back first, but not before leaning his forehead against Jemma’s. “That was nice.”

“Yeah,” Jemma agreed, still in somewhat of a daze. “It was.”

The couple stood in the doorway for a moment, foreheads resting against each other. Fitz opened his eyes slowly, peering down at her face before taking in the rest of her body. He remembered the dress she was wearing: the long purple one with the butterflies dancing on the bottom. Stroking down to the small of her back, Fitz noticed how soft the material was.

“You look beautiful,” he said as Jemma broke away from him a little. “I love this butterfly dress. I haven’t seen you wear it in a while.” 

“Ugh, Fitz!” Jemma turned towards the kitchen. “They’re dragonflies! Dragonflies, Fitz!”

“Whichever,” he said with a shrug. He reached for her hand to turn her back to him again. “Hey, what smells so good?”

A sly smile appeared on Jemma’s face. “I made you a special dinner.”

Fitz raised his eyebrows, interested. “A special dinner?” 

“Yeah…” she said softly. “A special dinner…” 

It was not clear whether Fitz had heard her or not. His attention had moved from her to the candlelit room. Jemma watched his expression turn from confusion to wonder as he took in the sight of their living room. It was as if he, too, were seeing it for the first time.  
The room they had created together was warm and welcoming. Fitz liked the cottage feel it had to it. Framed photos of hand drawn seahorses and jellyfish anatomy diagrams hung on the wall opposite the fireplace. The white, built-in bookshelf filled with biochemistry and engineering texts was accompanied by seashells they had collected during their walks on the beach. For the first time, Fitz thought of how much the room reminded him him of the wholesome family rooms he and his mum were invited into. 

Their fingers stayed interlocked until the last possible moment as Fitz moved about the room, examining details he had forgotten in the haste of their busy schedules. “Hey,” he whispered. “You lit candles.” 

“Yeah…” Jemma matched his tone. She watched him in the soft light while another image she had never before imagined floated into her mind: her brown hair with his tight curls on a small toddler. How could she have never pictured what their mixed DNA would look like before? She was a biochemist, after all.

Fitz must have noticed the change Jemma’s expression. “Hey,” he reached out. “You okay? You look that time when you convinced yourself a background in biochem might not actually be useful in saving the world from aliens.”

“Ugh, Fitz!” Jemma’s animated expression made Fitz laugh. “You know how drunk I was when I said that-”

“-that was the best part. It was our grad-”

“Grad party the night after graduation. And I can’t believe you’re still-” 

“I will always tease you about that, Jemma Fitz-Simmons.” Fitz shook his head at her as his hands found her waist again. “In fact, have you been drinking without me? Your cheeks are a bit flushed.”

Instead of resting her arms on his shoulders like she usually did, Jemma brought both palms up to cover her reddening cheeks. As she looked into his eyes, she imagined a replica pair on the same toddler she’d conjured up before. Jemma did feel a little drunk, in fact. It was as if the entire world knew something and had been planning for a whole person’s existence for years in advance without Jemma even anticipating the possibility.

Her eyes couldn’t focus. They moved back and forth like the pendulum swinging in the grandfather clock in the corner.

Fitz’s brow furrowed. He bent down to look more directly at her. “Jemma? What’s wrong?” He rubbed his hands up and down her shoulders. “I usually know what you’re thinking before you do, but right now - I have no idea. Talk to me.”

Jemma’s gaze finally steadied. “I - I want -” How was a wife supposed to tell her husband that she wanted a baby? Why had they never had this conversation before? Did Fitz assume they would eventually have kids, but had made a promise to himself not to push her - like he always did? Or-- did he not want kids at all, and would be perfectly happy if they illegally adopted a pet monkey? Oh, how could she not know what he wanted or what he was thinking? They knew everything about each other.

She tucked her chin, her eyelids falling shut with the movement. They knew everything about each other. Suddenly,Jemma knew she was overthinking everything. 

“Fitz…” She found the blue eyes she so desperately hoped to see in their future child. They were staring back at her, longing to connect with the soul within them. “I-”

The kitchen timer rung again, breaking them both from their daze. Jemma pulled herself out of his grasp and headed towards the kitchen to save their now overcooked chicken. Fitz took no time to follow, speeding up his pace until he was practically walking on her heels.

“No, no, no. A kitchen timer is not letting you off the hook. There is something huge going on in that pretty little head of yours, and we are not eating until I know what it is.”

His words set off an disproportionate response in Jemma; a nagging feeling within her ignited at her frustration that she was unable to speak her dreams aloud. She opened the oven door with the force that would have been needed to open a bank vault. “That’s the second time you’ve complimented my appearance in ten minutes! Do you know that’s more times than you did during our first two weeks of dating?” 

“Wha-” Fitz couldn’t even finish the word; bewilderment took over his entire being from his brain to his heart to the crease on his forehead. For a moment, he knew better than to fight back, but before he could stop himself, he matched her fiery words with his own. “Oh. Really? Well, you must not have been listening very well, or-” He leaned down to catch her glance, and once he did, he made sure not to let it go. “Or- looking into my eyes, because I’m pretty sure every minute of every day you knew exactly how beautiful you were to me.” Fitz threw one arm in their air and then leaned against their kitchen countertop. “I knew better than to praise your physical appearance! You never would’ve have let me and you know it!”

Jemma pulled the chicken from the oven and kicked the door shut with an extraordinary amount of force. Once she placed it on the stovetop, she turned back to Fitz. they both stared at each other, breathless.

Shoulders heaving and hearts pounding, they both stared at each other, breathless.  
Jemma knew it was her turn to speak. If Fitz knew better than to praise her appearance, then he definitely knew better than to ask a second time what was wrong. 

The best way was to just say it, she convinced herself. To say it all really fast. 

“We went to the primary school today and this little girl threw her arms around me so tightly I never wanted to let her go. And since that moment, something changed within me, Fitz-” Keep talking; don’t stop to look at him. “All of a sudden I felt the deepest desire for a child of my own. With you.” Her words sped even faster. “And I have no idea how you feel about it - which is funny, because I know how you feel about everything - and I have no idea if you even like kids or want kids, because. We. Never. Talked. About. It. And I don’t understand how we can talk about everything else, but not-”

Fitz’s lips were on hers before she could finish. Just like their first kiss so long ago, he grabbed her waist and pushed her against the counter. Now, however, he showed no signs of pulling back. His hands found the back zipper of her dress and pulled it down. Jemma released her hold on him just long enough for her to pull her arms from its straps. As Fitz pushed her dress to the floor, Jemma found the hem of his blue dress shirt and untucked it from his pants before quickly unbuttoning each of its buttons.

He unclasped her bra. She unbuckled his belt. They was down to their knickers before he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his torso, and carried her into their bedroom.  
___________________________________________________________________________

The sound of the Scottish winds woke Jemma. They were so strong that they seemed to blow inside the cottage. If Jemma rose to check, she was sure the candles she had lit hours ago would be blown out. The wind roared as it blew through their apple tree, and Jemma watched the leaves blow to one side before falling back into place. Despite the wind, watching the apple tree gave her a sense of peace.

Then again, Jemma thought, as she turned to Fitz lying beside her and ran her fingers through his curls, so did the man beside her. Once he leaned into her touch, she knew he was awake. She curled around him, tangling their naked bodies even closer together.

Jemma searched for Fitz’s blue eyes, and once she found them, she noticed how much they told her without him having to speak. “I love your blue eyes. Have I not told you that before?” she whispered. “I could stare into them for hours.”

“Yeah?” Fitz adjusted his position on the pillow and interlaced their fingers. “And what are they saying?” 

Jemma inhaled deeply. “That you love me more than anything.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And I’m beautiful.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And amazing.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“And brillant.”

“Okay...” Fitz smirked and shook his head. “That’s enough for today.”

Jemma ignored him. “And your soul is reflected in my eyes just like mine is reflected in yours.”

Fitz’s smirk disappeared and his serious, longing look returned.

“That you look at me at you see your future kid-”

“Jemma…”

“Because you’ve always seen our future there…and I…I just took a while to catch up.”

Fitz watched regret and sorrow flood over Jemma’s face. He knew exactly how she felt, because he had once shared the same regret. 

He cupped her face and brought it to his own for a kiss. He wished more than anything that his single kiss could erase the regret from both of them, but if he was honest, he knew that particular regret didn’t bother him anymore. They were in Scotland. Together. Married, happy, and safe. Anything else was just cherry on top of whipped cream.

“So…are we actually going to talk about it, or should we just go on assuming we can read each other’s minds?”

Fitz tucked his chin, mocking her, laughter in his eyes. “Talk about what?”

Jemma debated whether to indulge his mockery and to miss the moment’s opportunity for a real conversation (which they conveniently had not had earlier), but decided not to, and said, “The potential child we just made.”

For some reason, Fitz didn’t lose the light in his eyes. “Oh!” he continued with his gentle, mocking tone. “Is that how that works? I had no idea!” 

Jemma couldn’t do anything but let out a laugh. She slapped him playfully before turning from him to look at the apple tree. She closed her eyes as she felt Fitz wrap his arms around her torso. 

“You know what I think?” 

“What do you think?”

“I think it is about time we started a new adventure together.” He kissed her bare shoulder and she turned back around to face him. “We’re a bit overdue for some life-changing drama to bond us even closer together.” Jemma rolled her eyes. “I mean, we wouldn’t want to tempt the cosmos even further by not changing and staying safe, alone, in our perfect Scottish cottage, now, would we?”

“Ugh, Fitz!” was all Jemma could reply. 

“You know what else I think?” Fitz turned his wife over so she could look out the window. “I think our apple tree is missing a swing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year to my amazing Secret Santa, Shieldsil! Thank you for everything you do and all that you are. I hope you have a wonderful 2016! 
> 
> (Big thanks to my betas SuburbanSun and SuperIrishBreakfastTea)


End file.
